“A hard lot has been created for human beings, a heavy yoke lies on the children of Adam from the day they come out of their mother’s womb, till the day they return to the mother of them all.” Sirach 40:1

After the sin of our first parents, God has laid on all of humanity the yoke of earning their daily bread by the sweat of their brow. This heavy yoke however is made light in Christ when we accept this yoke in a spirit of penance, and in reparation for our sins. Rebelling against this yoke or trying to throw it off is of no use, we would only be getting in the way of our own sanctification.

“But in so far as you share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, so that you may enjoy a much greater gladness when His glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:13

To share in the sufferings of Christ is a great privilege. How can we share in the sufferings of Christ? It is by following Christ who even today carries His Cross and goes in front of us. We are given a place with Jesus on the road to Calvary when we accept sufferings joyously for doing the Will of God.

“Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally.” Matthew 1:19

Saint Joseph is called the upright in the Bible - but his uprightness far surpassed that of the Law. From the depths of his upright soul came his altogether noble and praiseworthy action, that of deciding to silently take leave of Mary his betrothed rather than exposing her to disgrace. God who rewards good deeds done in secret and in silence, was swift to intervene and give him a reward beyond compare - His Only Begotten Son.

“For if this is what is done to green wood, what will be done when the wood is dry?’ Luke 23:31

Green wood is a sign of Divine Life. The unjust sufferings that the Lord had to undergo are compared to green wood which is treated harshly. If this is so, how much more suffering will there be in store for dry wood, which symbolises those who refuse to repent. The Lord also wanted to tell the world that the sufferings of the upright are much less in comparison with the sufferings of sinners.

“... Jesus, knowing that His hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, having loved those who were His in the world, loved them to the end.” John 13:1

Among the people whom we know, we label many as “friends” or “loved ones”, but can we be absolutely sure that they will love us till the end? Sooner or later, we will realise that there is only one ever-loving and ever-faithful friend: Jesus our Lord, who loves us in all circumstances - while we are awake or asleep, in sickness or health, whether we are upright or sinners. Even when our dearest friend may get fed up with us and leave us, Jesus still continues to love us. Realising His great love, let us try to love our Lord in return, more and more each day.

“A hard lot has been created for human beings, a heavy yoke lies on the children of Adam from the day they come out of their mother’s womb, till the day they return to the mother of them all.” Sirach 40:1

After the sin of our first parents, God has laid on all of humanity the yoke of earning our daily bread by the sweat of our brow. This heavy yoke however is made light in Christ when we accept this yoke in a spirit of penance, and in reparation for our sins. Rebelling against this yoke or trying to throw it off, or just living our lives with the short-sighted aim to get rich quickly is of no use, we would only be getting in the way of our own sanctification.

“Think of the way in which He persevered against such opposition from sinners and then you will not lose heart and come to grief.” Hebrews 12:3

Jesus and Mary braved the hostile crowd who were so mad with hatred that they would not stop their shouts for His crucifixion till they had their way. They then followed Him to Calvary, to hound Him to His death. During all these moments, our Lord and His Mother never lost their courage or their resolve to fulfil the Will of God and to complete their sacrifice. Even during the terrible moments of the Crucifixion and while enduring their taunts during His dying moments on the Cross, our Lord and His Mother forgave His murderers. Meditating on the perseverance of Jesus and Mary will help us to resolutely and patiently face any persecution we may have to suffer in following the Will of God to the end.

“For if this is what is done to green wood, what will be done when the wood is dry?’ Luke 23:31

The Lord compared Himself to green wood. Green wood also stands for those who follow Him, His Divine Life flows in them. Dry wood stands for those who separate themselves from God, the source of Divine Life, by a life in sin. Green wood could also stand for bodily sufferings in this world, and dry wood can stand for sufferings in the world to come. If the Lord and His followers suffer in this world, we can imagine how terrible will be the sufferings for those who refuse to repent of their sins! During this season of Lent, let us take these words which our Lord spoke to the women of Jerusalem while on His way to Calvary very seriously indeed - let us truly repent of all our sins, may we suffer as green wood and not as the wood that is dry.

“If the world hates you, you must realize that it hated me before it hated you.” John 15:18

Jesus came into the world as the true light, and yet many hated Him - they preferred to remain in the darkness of their sins. The Lord challenges us to follow Him by being a light for the world and to boldly rebuke it by the witness of a holy life lived according to God’s commandments and principles, in the uprightness and holiness of the truth. If we truly do this, we will experience that the world will start to hate us too. But let us not be discouraged! We remember the words of Saint Francis of Assisi, that our enemies are our “benefactors” - they give us the opportunity to suffer for Christ, by which we gain a great reward in heaven.

“This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: He Himself bore our sicknesses away and carried our diseases.” Matthew 8:17

Every human being came into this world to live; but Jesus came to die. We long to be free, healthy, rich and powerful, but He but He was freely willing, out of love for you and for me, to be a slave, sick, poor and weak. Jesus Christ is truly the only Healer for the whole of humanity, the Divine Doctor to Whom all those afflicted by sin and sickness must go if they wish to be healed. The medicine He offers is all powerful - it is His Flesh that He offers for the life of the world.

“Unload your burden onto the Lord and He will sustain you; never will He allow the upright to stumble.” Psalm 55:22

No one can deny that all of us carry heavy burdens on our backs - be they the burdens of our sins, sorrows, sicknesses, bitterness, loneliness or bereavements. But here is a comforting thought - there is One Who is ready to help us unload our burdens - Jesus the Lord, who constantly encounters us in our daily lives by means of His Spirit Who speaks to our hearts every day, every moment, inviting us to come to the Divine Saviour. Obeying the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit, let us go to Him, let us put down all our burdens at His feet and follow Him by taking the light yoke of His commandments.

“So he left the place and went back to his father. 'While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

We were all created by God to be loved by Him and to love Him in return. This is the reason why none of us can long endure the spiritual starvation of living in sin, separated from God’s love. Like the prodigal son, we also start our journey back to God when we accept the fact that we are sinners and we need to come back to God. We start our journey when we search for ways and means to come back to God - God sees us from afar when we thirst for His forgiveness. He comes running to meet us each time we come to the Confessional, He embraces us when we start making our Confession. We then experience the most moving and beautiful moments of our lives, when we allow our hearts to be touched by God our Father’s deep love for each one of us, the love that prompted Him to send His only Son Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

“... the Lord took note and listened; and a book of remembrance was written in His presence recording those who feared Him and kept His Name in mind.” Malachi 3:16

There are times when all of us have wondered whether we are losing out by not going the path of those who do not fear God - those who do evil and still succeed, those who make money by crooked ways, or get a position by dishonest means. We may wonder, now here we are - we fear God, and we are left with nothing! When such thoughts pass through our minds, let us not keep them inside, let us share it with someone who is God-fearing - it could be even our husband or wife, our children or our parents, or some of our close friends. Today’s Word of God reminds us that God takes note of all our sorrows and our complaints - He commands His angels to write our names in His Book if indeed we suffer for doing right. Our sufferings will never be in vain - there is a time with God for rewarding every good man, every good woman.

“it is my prayer that your love for one another may grow more and more with the knowledge and complete understanding that will help you to come to true discernment...” Philippians 1:9-10

As human beings, we all experience feelings of affection, friendship and attachments to people during various stages of life. Today’s Word of God is a prayer that asks God, the source of all LOVE, that the love we feel for others may never be blind to the truth, but that it is always accompanied by prudence, wisdom and discernment. If we lack these virtues, all our relationships no matter how intense or passionate they seem at the moment, will soon break apart. Therefore, let us take our love for others a step further by speaking the truth to those whom we love, even if this means warning and correcting them if they are on the wrong path. Let us pray for them; let us love them as God loves them, let us love them for everlasting life!

“Now I am old, but ever since my youth I never saw an upright person abandoned, or the descendants of the upright forced to beg their bread.” Psalm 37:25

From his experience, the psalmist reveals that an upright person, will never be abandoned by the Lord. In spite of all the trials and suffering we may face, if we choose to be upright, the Lord will never abandon us. Jesus Himself assures us that the Kingdom of Heaven is guaranteed to those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness.

“Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven;” Matthew 5:11-12

Do people around us become shocked when they come to know our stand on the issues of the day - stands we take because of our faith? Do we become isolated and alone. cut off from our relatives and friends because of our faith in Jesus? Does our faith in Jesus lead us a step further - into hearing insults, abuse and all kinds of falsehood spoken against us? If so, today’s Word of God to rejoice and be glad - we have a great reward waiting for us! Praise God!

“My strength is trickling away, my bones are all disjointed, my heart has turned to wax, melting inside me.” Psalm 22:14

As we go through the season of Lent, let us think a little about how much Jesus suffered in order to expiate all the sins that you and I commit daily. He willingly undertook all these sufferings out of His great and more importantly, personal love for you and me - He became weak so that we might become strong. Therefore, in all our weaknesses, let us not hesitate to approach our good Lord, who can understand our weaknesses, even our repeated falls into sin. Therefore He conitnously dispenses His mercy, His grace and His forgivness to raise us up every time we fall. Let us never lose heart - we have a merciful High Priest, Jesus Christ!

“You can trust that God will not let you be put to the test beyond your strength, but with any trial will also provide a way out by enabling you to put up with it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13

Do we ever realise that God weighs every trial we come across on His weighing scale to see whether we can actually put up with it? This is what Saint Paul tries to make us understand in today’s Scripture: God will never allow us to be put to the test beyond our strength. A great message of hope! So when trials come across in our lives - instead of losing heart, let us confidently turn to God and ask Him for His grace and strength, which He has promised us in every trial that we face.

“God looks down from heaven at the children of Adam. To see if a single one is wise, a single one seeks God.” Psalm 14:2

Our Heavenly Father is carefully watching all of us on earth - to see if any of us are truly wise. A college degree or reading a lot of books need not necessarily make us wise in God’s sight. True wisdom, as the Bible teaches us, is to seek God. We call the three men who came to our Lord from the East ‘wise’ because they were seeking God, seeking His Christ. Now, coming to our own lives: Are we truly seeking God, have we started our search for Him yet? All those who seek God with all their hearts will find Him, then they will become truly wise.

We are dust, and unto dust we shall return. “By the sweat of your face will you earn your food, until you return to the ground, as you were taken from it. For dust you are and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19

Every year, Ash Wednesday reminds us where we came from and where we will have to return. Be it a king or a beggar, a wise man or fool - everyone has to return to the earth. And what has dust and ashes to pride itself on? As we work tirelessly in this world, let us pause for a moment and reflect: What have I done for the Lord? What am I doing for the Lord? What will I do for the Lord?